January 2020 - Programs & Events at Little River Regional Park

Happy New Year, folks!


 Here's a peek at some of the things going on at the park in January & February:

Warm but Sloppy Conditions for 2016 Little River Trail Runs

7k starting pack.

The 11th Little River Trail Runs were held on Saturday, January 16, 2016. It was much warmer than previous years with a balmy 37 degrees F greeting runners for the start of the 10-mile and 7-k races. In keeping with Little River races past, precipitation also played a part in this year's run. Over .25" of rain fell late Friday creating some sloppy trail treads in low lying areas, especially along the river.

The trail run is put on by a dedicated group of runners from Chapel Hill known as the Trailheads. Proceeds from the run are donated to Little River Park and also used to purchase carbon offsets. Last year's run was "carbon negative" with the purchase of enough offsets to negate the carbon emissions caused by the travel of all participants. The park has used the donated funds to pay for trail improvements, equipment and to underwrite the cost of park programs like star gazing with Morehead Planetarium and visits from wildlife educators, CLAWS. This year the park was able to offer its Tiny Trekkers and Discovery Club kids programs for free as well. The trail runs have generated over $60,000 in donations to the park over the past 10 years.



A beautiful day along the 7k course.

The Trailheads began the Little River Trail Runs as a way to get runners off the streets and into nature to enjoy their favorite pastime along the quiet forest trails. The low-key event is welcoming to runners of all abilities. With over 500 runners, it has become one of the largest trail races in the area. The event draws runners from as far away as Alaska and Rhode Island. The unpredictable conditions in mid-January add to the ambiance of the race. Past year's conditions have included temperatures in the teens, ice, snow and mud.

Related Reading:

Little River runners traverse slippery slopes:  http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/article56360085.html

Park Programs and Events for January 2016

New Year’s Day Nature Walk

Friday, January 1, 9–11:30am. Free.

Start the new year enjoying the trails of Little River Park on this informal group walk. This walk will be at a pace which allows for picture taking and enjoyment of the natural surroundings. We’ll have a few guide books and binoculars to loan. Meet at the Large Shelter.

Beginning Birder

Birds for Beginners

Monday, January 4, 10-11am. Ages 2-5 yrs. Free.

 

We’re breaking out the binoculars and brushing up on our bird basics! Help put out some seeds and watch our feathered friends at the feeders. Meet at the Park office. Pre-registration is required.

 

11th Annual Little River Trail Run

Saturday, January 16, 9am & 9:30am.

The Park will be moving as runners converge on the trails of Little River Regional Park. Sponsored by the Trailheads, runners of every level are encouraged to participate in a fun, relaxed and enjoyable morning on the trails. Register at www.trailheads.org for the 10 mile or 7k races.

 

Full Moon Hike

Saturday, January 23, 5:30-7pm. Ages 6 yrs & older. Free.

 

Experience Little River Park in a whole new light on this hike led by park staff. We’ll learn about nocturnal animals, hoot like owls and howl at the moon. Meet at the Large Shelter. Pre-registration is required.

 

Registration Opens for 11th Annual Little River Trail Runs

Please join us for the 2016 running of the Little River Trail Runs on January 16, 2016. This will be the 11th year of the race, which has thus far raised over $61,000 for Little River Regional Park and Natural Area and for local trails, including last year’s record donation of $11,000.

Registration opens October 1st, 2016 at https://www.sportoften.com/event/25510/little-river-trail-runs. This race fills to capacity each year, so don’t miss out, register early!  Also, orders for race shirts will be placed in a few weeks’ time; your shirt size can only guaranteed if you register by December 5. So don’t delay, and please help spread the word.

For those who are registered for the 2016 race, a Course Tour is scheduled for Saturday December 19, 2015, beginning at 9:00am. This is a low-key outing followed by coffee, hot chocolate, pastries, and fruit.  Tour leaders who are familiar with both the 7K and 10 mile courses will be on hand, and who will accommodate a variety of paces.  For more information or to join the course tour, please reply to littlerivertrailruns@gmail.com with “Course Tour” in the subject line.

Park Programs and Special Events for January through April 2015

Tiny Trekkers (age 2-4)

Tiny Trekkers is a series of programs designed for young children ages 2 to 4 years old accompanied by an adult. Trekkers learn about nature through stories, activities, crafts and games.

 

Getting Wild

Date/Time:     Monday, January 5th, 10am-11am

Location:        Park Office

Fee:                $2.00 per participant

Min/Max:        4/12

Description:  Trekkers explore the differences between wild and tame animals and learn about the wildlife living around us. We’ll have a story and an animal parade!

 

Fur, Feathers, Skins & Scales

Date/Time:     Monday, February 2nd, 10am-11am

Location:        Large Shelter

Fee:                $2.00 per participant

Min/Max:        4/12

Description:  Trekkers learn about the different ways animals are covered through touch and observation. There will be a story, games and an animal craft.

 

What’s the Weather?

Date/Time:     Monday, March 2nd, 10am-11am                                                            

Location:        Large Shelter

Cost:               $2.00 per participant

Min/Max:        4/12

Description:   Trekkers find out about weather as we create some clouds, make some rain, and wonder about thunder.

 

Discovery Club (ages 5 and Up)

Discovery Club programs are geared toward children ages 5 & up accompanied by an adult. Programs focus on learning about nature and science through hands-on activities and exploration.  

 

Bird Box Building

Date/Time:     Saturday, February 21st, 2:00pm –3:30pm

Location:        Large Shelter

Fee:                $5.00 per box

Min/Max:        3/10

Description:   Build a nest box for your home to help attract bluebirds, chickadees, and wrens to your own backyard.  

 

Fossil Find

Date/Time:     Saturday, March 28^th, 2:00pm – 3:30pm

Location:        Large Shelter

Fee:                $5.00 per family/couple/individual

Min/Max:        3/10

Description:   Join staff on an archeological dig for North Carolina fossils. Participants will learn how fossils are formed, how scientists look for them and make their own fossils.

 

Special Events/Programs

 

New Year’s Day Bird Count

Date/Time:     Thursday, January 1, 9:00am – 12noon

Location:        Park Office

Fee:                Free; all ages; no registration required

Description:   Come count the birds at Little River! Join staff as we tally the diverse species of birds found around the park. Results will be added to the national count held by the Audubon Society from December 14 through January 5.

 

10^th Annual Little River Trail Run

Date: Saturday, January 17

Description: The Park will be moving as runners converge on the trails of Little River Regional Park. Sponsored by the Trailheads, runners of every level are encouraged to participate in a fun, relaxed and enjoyable morning on the trails. Register at www.trailheads.org for the 10 mile or 7k races.

 

Volunteer Workday: Bird Trail

Date/Time:     Friday, February 13^th, 10:00am-1:00pm

Location:        Park Office

Min/Max:        4/15

Fee:                Free; 6 years and older; please register

Description:   Come help us maintain and improve our bird trail and enjoy some lunch on us. This workday requires moderate work and the ability to use tools (rakes, loppers).  Please wear sturdy footwear and dress to get messy. Registration is needed to know how much pizza and refreshments to provide. Bring water, gloves, tools and bug spray if you like.  For more information please call the park office at (919) 732-5505.

 

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Date:               February 13-16

Location:        Park Office

Fee:                Free; all ages; no registration required.

Description:   Participate in this National event here at the park or in your own backyard. Pick up instructions, field guides and data sheets from the Park office. Spend as little as 15 minutes counting birds, leave checklists for us to tally or submit the information at home.

 

Star Gazing at Little River Park

Date/Time:     February 20, 7:00pm – 9:00pm

                        March 20, 8:00pm – 10:00pm

Location:        Play Meadow

Fee:                Free; all ages; no registration required.

Description:   Volunteers from Morehead Planetarium will bring out the high powered telescopes and give us a tour of the night sky. Bring a blanket, camp chairs or your own telescope or binoculars. Be sure to call the park office after 4pm for cloud/cancellation updates: (919) 732-5505. 

 

Volunteer Workday: Spring Cleaning

Date/Time:     Saturday, March 21st, 10:00am-1:00pm

Location:        Park Office

Min/Max:        4/15

Fee:                Free; 6 years and older; please register

Description:   Help us welcome in spring by working in the butterfly garden and enjoy some lunch on us. This workday requires moderate work and the ability to use tools (shovels, pruners).  Please wear sturdy footwear and dress to get messy. Registration is needed to know how much pizza and refreshments to provide. Bring water, gloves, tools and bug spray if you like.  For more information please call the park office at (919) 732-5505.

 

Statewide Star Party @ Little River

Date/Time:     Friday, April 24^th, 8:30pm – 10:30pm

Location:        Play Meadow

Fee:                Free; all ages; no registration required

Description:   Join us at Little River Park for the 3rd annual Statewide Star Party. Star gazers at various locations across the state will come together to enjoy an evening under the night sky. This year we are focusing on our Solar System. Come a little early and walk our scale model of the planets. Part of the North Carolina Science Festival. Be sure to call the park office after 4pm for cloud/cancellation updates: (919) 732-5505. 

 

Environmental Education at Little River

Little River Regional Park offers a variety of nature programs for all ages. Regularly scheduled programs and special events are listed below. For more information, call the park office: (919) 732-5505 or register online: https://server3.co.orange.nc.us/.  Pre-registration is required.

Trail Running Group Raises over $50,000 for Little River Park

Chapel Hill/Carrboro, NC – The TrailHeads, a local group of trail running and outdoor enthusiasts, love playing in the woods. They also are dedicated to introducing others to the joys of the trails, and to helping create and protect natural spaces for public use. 

Perhaps the best evidence of this commitment is the Little River Trail Runs, an event created by the TrailHeads – a 501(c)3 organization; see www.trailheads.org -- in 2006. The Little River Trail Runs take place each January at Little River Regional Park, located at the border of Durham and Orange Counties, in Rougemont, North Carolina. Runners who sign up for the races choose between 10 mile and 7 kilometer distances, both of which are run on the single-track trails of Little River Regional Park. Proceeds from the race benefit the park generally, and trail-building and maintenance specifically.

At last night’s volunteer appreciation and donation event, hosted by Balanced Movement Studios and Proaxis Physical Therapy, the TrailHeads presented Mike DiFabio and Michelle Pesavento, the park manager and park conservation technician at Little River Regional Park, with a contribution of $10,000. This donation, representing proceeds from the January 2014 race, was the largest to date. Over the race’s nine years, the TrailHeads have now given a total of $51,000 to Little River Regional Park. These donations fund a variety of activities and purchases, including trail building and maintenance, nature programs for children and adults, a gator utility  vehicle and zero-turn mower, iPads for use in park programs, and driveway and bathroom improvements.

David “booda” Elam, race co-director since 2011 views the Little River Trail Runs as a model for how public and private groups can work together to maintain public spaces. “If resources are to be maintained for public access and use, someone has to pay for them.  We expect our tax dollars to cover these costs, but in recent years, declining tax revenues have forced governments to shift funding from niceties like parks to necessities like fire protection.  Organizations like ours can help.  In the case of the Park, our events have provided funds that support programing that otherwise would have been eliminated or covered with access fees.”

Proceeds from Little River Trail Runs also generate donations to Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC; http://torc-nc.org/); these monies are in support of TORC’s trail-building activities across the Triangle and, specifically, at Little River Regional Park. This year, the TrailHeads donated $1000 in Little River proceeds to TORC; since 2006, the event has directed more than $3000 to TORC. Moreover, to offset the carbon generated by travel to the event, the TrailHeads have funded the purchase of 435,000 pounds of carbon dioxide offsets, via $3100 in contributions to NC Green Power. These offsets are the equivalent of planting 59,610 trees, or not driving 553,024 miles.

The Little River Trail Runs also illustrate how one person’s idea for an event, and other individuals’ willingness to dedicate effort toward the event, can make a difference in the community. In 2005, John “Skwryl” Strange, a TrailHead who had discovered the beauty of Little River Regional Park, proposed the creation of a running event there. Other members of the TrailHeads jumped on board, and the first event took place in early 2006, with 300 runners. Over the years, as interest in trail running has increased and as participants have demonstrated a continued willingness to carpool to the Park, the event has expanded. In 2014, a record 650 people registered for one of the races. For some, it was their first trail race; others were seven-, eight- and nine-time participants. 

Each year’s event is made possible by volunteer efforts – ranging from designing posters for the event and distributing shirts and bib numbers; to marking the race course and directing participants in the parking area; to handing out water at aid stations and timing the runners; and to feeding the crowd at the finish and collecting empty cups for the Park’s compost pile.

“Our events, and the financial benefits they generate, wouldn’t be possible without volunteer effort,” says Layna “Willow” Mosley, co-race director since 2011. “Our volunteers make race directing easy: year after year, we count on TrailHeads to work behind the scenes and on race day, and they do so without fail, and with smiles. We strongly encourage new members of our club to volunteer at our races, and we remind them that we host races not to make a profit, but to generate benefits that we can share with the local outdoor and running community.” Mosley estimates that each race includes 500 hours of volunteer effort.

The Little River Trail Runs also wouldn’t be possible without the support of title sponsors; they provide prizes, food, coffee and other materials. Sponsors include Balanced Movement Studios/Proaxis Physical Therapy; the Open Eye Café/Carrboro Coffee Roasters; Fleet Feet Sports Carrboro and Durham; and Montrail. “Each of our sponsors understands the value of this event to local runners as well as to the Park, and they are always asking what else they can do to make it a success,” says Mosley. A new element this year was a training program, created by Fleet Feet Sports and Montrail, to introduce people to trail running. The program had approximately 50 participants, most of whom ran Little River as their “goal race.”

The TrailHeads also host another event, the Philosopher’s Way Trail Runs, at Carolina North Forest. The seventh edition of this event takes place on May 3, 2014. Like previous iterations, its proceeds will be directed to Carolina North Forest, the group’s “home base” for running.

While the TrailHeads are associated most closely with Little River and Philosopher’s Way, you’ll also find them involved at other events. For instance, earlier this month, the group was heavily involved with the Uwharrie Mountain Runs in Troy, NC. Some members conducted trail maintenance and course set up in advance of the races, while others assisted runners at various aid stations. Even closer to home, you’ll find the TrailHeads contributing both funds (approximately $4,000 since 2010) and time to maintenance of the parking lot at Unity Church of Peace (on Seawell School Road in Chapel Hill); this lot provides an access point to the trails of Carolina North Forest.

About the TrailHeads: TrailHeads is a group of trail running and outdoor enthusiasts, based in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, NC. The organization’s purposes are to promote the joy of trail running; support the efforts of members to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle; listen, learn and internalize the lessons taught by the natural environment and wilder spaces; and organize and encourage efforts to enhance, extend, and maintain nature’s reach into the lives of the greater community. For more information about the TrailHeads or the Little River Trail Runs, contact Layna Mosley (willow.mosley@gmail.com;919-623-5097).

  

Little River Trail Run 2012

Registration is filling up fast for the 7th Annual Trail Run to be held Saturday, January 14, 2012. The run features a 10 mile as well as a 7k course again this year. The 10 mile course usually runs the Ridge Trail, North River Loop and most of the single-track mountain bike trails. The 7k course follows the North River Loop trail, portions of the South River Loop trail and a section of the beginners mountain bike trail.

Since parking for large events can be a challenge at the park, participants are encouraged to carpool. A raffle will be held for vehicles that come with four or more occupants.

The Trailheads, who organize the event, will again be donating a portion of the proceeds to the park. More information can be found on the Trailheads website:  http://www.trailheads.org/lrtr/index.html.

Last year saw a challenging course after a snow/ice storm covered the trails and brought down a number of trees. The year before it was really, really cold. What's in store for this year? The forecast looks like temperatures in the upper 40's for race day. Keep your fingers crossed!

Little River Park Trail Run

 

Join us on January 12, 2008 for the 3rd annual trail run at Little River Regional Park.  The run includes a 9-miler and a 5k.  The 9-miler takes off at 9:00 a.m. and the 5k starts at 10a.m.  Go to www.trailheads.org for additional details and online registration. 

Trail Run Wrap-up

The second annual trail run sponsored by Trailheads  was held on Saturday, January 13, 2007.  More than 400 runners registered for the events of the day, a grueling nine miler and a 5k that was “admittedly a little long”.  Congratulations to all of the runners who participated in this years event which raised a sizeable donation for the park. 

Runners lining up for the start of the Little River Trail Run

Brent Ferrell finished the nine miler in 56:21 besting the old course record of 59:30 by nearly three minutes.  Caroline Blatti also set a new course record by 15 seconds in the women’s nine miler with a finish of 107:20. 

15 year old Taylor Gilland completed the men’s 5k in 21:26, more than two minutes faster than his course record of last year.  Chris Tommerdahl finished first in the women’s 5k with a time of 27:13. 

Little River Park staff greatly appreciates the hard work put in by the Trail Heads and the volunteers in coordinating another great event.